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Gourmet Live's First-Birthday Cake

There's a special place in the lexicon of American layer cakes for the classic yellow cake with chocolate frosting. It's practically the standard for birthdays and anniversaries, so it was my top choice when creating a cake to celebrate the first year of publication of Gourmet Live. And if ever there was a version that will elicit either a string of excited OMG's or the low-humming purr of rapturous mmmm's, this is it. Tender, buttery cake layers sandwich a creamy frosting so light and airy it's as if you're nibbling a chocolate cloud. (No offense to dense, fudgy ganache-style icings—of which I'm also very fond—but they don't lend themselves to the kind of exuberant flourishes and swirls of frosting that convey the excitement of a first birthday.) Even a strong-willed soul won't be able to resist a second slice.

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Preparation

Make cake layers:

Heat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower third. Butter cake pans, then line bottoms with rounds of wax paper or parchment and butter the paper. Dust pans with additional flour and knock out excess.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

Beat butter with sugar in a large bowl at medium-high speed (preferably using a stand mixer) until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat mixture 5 minutes more.

Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture alternately with yogurt in 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing just until smooth. Divide batter between pans (about 2 3/4 cups per pan), spreading evenly, then rap each pan on counter once or twice to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake layers, switching position of pans and rearranging them in oven halfway through baking time, until cake begins to pull away from side of pan and a wooden pick inserted in center of each comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes total for 9-inch pans and 20 to 25 minutes total for 8-inch pans.

Cool 10 minutes in pans on racks, then run a thin knife around edge of pans and invert layers onto racks to cool completely.

Make frosting:

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heavy saucepan, then whisk in boiling-hot water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, 1 minute (mixture will be thick).

Remove pan from heat and whisk in corn syrup. Add chocolates and vanilla, then stir once. Let stand 1 minute and stir again until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Transfer chocolate mixture to a metal bowl and set bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. Stir chocolate mixture until it has cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes.

With an electric mixer, beat in butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated and frosting is light and holds soft peaks.

Assemble cake:

Put a layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate or stand. Spread 1 cup of frosting over top. Cover with another layer, bottom side up, and spread with another cup of frosting. Top with third layer, bottom side up.

Spread a thin layer of frosting around sides and over top of cake with offset spatula. (This is called crumb-coating. It tamps down any loose crumbs to keep them out of the top layer of frosting and fills in any crevices.) Chill or briefly freeze cake just until frosting is firm.

Spread sides and top of cake with remaining frosting.

Cooks' notes:

• Avoid any inclination you may have to substitute low-fat or fat-free yogurt for the whole-milk yogurt called for; otherwise, the cake will not be as moist or as tender.
• If you live in New England and have access to Kate’s Real Buttermilk, use it in place of the yogurt to take this cake to an even dreamier place.
• Although a stand mixer works beautifully on cake batter, a hand-held electric mixer can also be used (brands vary in strength and power and may require a longer beating time).
• Cake layers can be made 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature or 1 week ahead and frozen. Either way, wrap well in wax paper and then in a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. No need to thaw before assembling cake, but after frosting it, allow plenty of time for cake to thaw and come to room temperature before serving.
• Cake can be frosted 1 day ahead and kept in a cake keeper at room temperature.

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Recent Reviews

Phenomenal. I'm looking for an excuse to make this cake again. I followed recipe exactly -- except for baking time. It took 45 min to bake all three layers (9 in pans.) I used very good quality buttermilk from Whole Foods, per recommendation in notes. Ghiradelli (sp) chocolate for the icing. I froze cake layers for 3 days & iced frozen day of party, as mentioned in notes. Everyone RAVED.

lschatzow from Baltimore, MD /

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Good yellow cale. Icing is to die for.

chaan1 from Bethesda, MD /

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Great cake recipe! I made the frosting with 10 oz of white chocolate so I could dye it and it was delicious. I also added raspberry jam to the bottom of the 2nd and 3rd layers so when I stacked them I made a raspberry layer.

LauraWV /

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This is my go-to birthday cake recipe when celebrating with my family. The cake is moist and delicious, the frosting is chocolatey and fluffy! The non-cake eaters in my house will have seconds and take home a slice as well. I have been making this cake for years and will continue to do so for my family.

jeankkenny from Boston, MA /

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I have made this at least 8 times. It is the perfect, traditional cake. It is an upgraded classic. The frosting is so silky. The cake has a wonderful crumb. Just writing this review makes me want to make it again!